Anyone who follows Coun. Leigh Bursey on social media will know he does not keep his mental health struggles a secret.

But the third-term Brockville councillor this week took it up a notch with a letter to the editor in The Recorder and Times in which he states plainly: “I am a suicide attempt survivor.”

“Members of my family and I have struggled with mental health, physical health, poverty and addiction issues, and had it not been for great people who invested their time and energy in me and my wellness, I might not be here today to write this letter. Many of the incredible people I have known and worked with in my life have either been directly or indirectly affected by losing someone to suicide,” Bursey added in the letter, published Tuesday.

Bursey took the step to support a private member’s motion on Parliament Hill by his longtime friend, NDP MP Charlie Angus. Known as M-174, the motion calls for the creation of a national suicide prevention action plan; members were debating the motion on Thursday.

“I wanted to come up with some avenue to help with this motion,” said Bursey.

The councillor, who recently turned 32, added he hopes making his own struggles public will reinforce continuing efforts to lift the stigma from mental health issues, adding: “It’s OK not to be OK sometimes.”

In an interview this week, Bursey did not get into the specifics of his suicide attempt and stressed he did not want his going public to be political.

“Even the people with the best of intentions … they tend to dissuade you from talking about it,” added Bursey.

He noted that “some of the really, really terrible moments” are what “really shape who you are.”

Bursey said he has been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and also takes anxiety medication.

Through these struggles, he has also remained an active and engaged municipal councillor, activist and community cable television talk show host, and he continues his long music career with his band, Project Mantra.

“We’re all kind of a work in progress,” said Bursey.

The councillor was also among the prime movers of city hall’s recognition of Pride Week, during his first term, and he notes suicide remains a pervasive concern among members of the LGBTQ community.

He urges local residents, whether they be left-leaning such as him or supporters of local Conservative MP Michael Barrett, to contact the MP and urge him to back Angus’s motion.

“This isn’t a partisan issue and it shouldn’t be,” said Bursey.

Along with the support he has had along the way, Bursey said he has come up with strategies to deal with his struggles.

“I found a niche that works for me,” he said.

That “niche” includes finding work that is fulfilling and makes one feel a part of something larger. And in municipal affairs, that can sometimes take mundane forms.

“Sometimes that something larger for somebody … is a speed bump,” said Bursey.

(People who need help or have concerns about a loved one’s mental health status can call the area’s 24/7 Crisis Line, at 613-345-4600 or 1-866-281-2911.)